Next 'Mission: Impossible' Sequels Get Release Date Windows

The Mission: Impossible franchise just received a pretty major update -- including when the next two films are expected to hit theaters.

Variety recently confirmed that Christopher McQuarrie has signed a deal to write and direct the seventh and eighth installments of the beloved action franchise. The report reveals that the two films will be shot back to back - a la Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame - and are expected to debut in the summers of 2021 and 2022.

While these aren't necessarily concrete release dates, they do hint at a rough window of when the two films are set to debut. And considering how far out the two films are from debuting - and how often entries in the summer blockbuster season can shift release dates - it makes sense that there isn't more information yet.

McQuarrie's last entry into the franchise, Mission: Impossible - Fallout!, was met with an outpouring of acclaim from critics and fans when it debuted last summer. With that film offering breathtaking stunts and set pieces, some have wondered where a sequel would go next -- something that McQuarrie and franchise star Tom Cruise have already discussed.

"I can tell you Tom already has a lot of really big ideas," McQuarrie shared in an interview last year. "World-topping sh-t."

One of the running suggestions has been that the film would take Cruise's Ethan Hunt into the cosmos in some way, which McQuarrie sounds somewhat on board with.

"That would be entirely up to SpaceX or NASA," McQuarrie said of the possibility. "They would have to be involved with that, I would imagine. Or Paramount Pictures. I don't know how much they want to invest.

"We've thought about [going to space]," Cruise admitted in a prior interview. "It's like how do we do it? It's the mechanics of getting it there. How do you build a sequence there and how long can we have that sequence? Because if I went up and just dropped, it's the kind of time — how do you put that into the structure of a screenplay of a Mission? When we're doing these things, there's so much story going on. As opposed to just a cool shot, we want character and story going throughout. I can't help but look at that building up here or at the Eiffel Tower and seeing stories. What could the team do and what could we do? But we have thought about that."

Are you excited to see the Mission: Impossible story continue? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!